Small dog wins big in Waikiki surf competition

By Nina Wu nwu@staradvertiser.com

Aug. 21, 2019

Video by Dennis Oda.

Dogs took to the water at the Going to the Dogs Surfur ComPETition on Tuesday in Waikiki. It's one of the many events held during Duke's OceanFest. Surfers included Tulip, a dog with cancer. There was also an appearance from Daffy, a surfing Muscovy duck.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM

Sophia Culhane with Roxi rode a wave in front of an appreciative crowd on Tuesday.

The competition was stiff, but the contenders, which ranged from a Yorkie to a mastiff, showed off their style at the Going to the Dogs Surfur competition on Tuesday, which is part of Duke’s OceanFest, an annual sports festival in Waikiki.

A total of 16 dogs — and one duck — competed in several 30-minute heats in both solo and tandem events before moving into semi-finals. It was the fifth competition held for four-legged surfers as part of Duke’s OceanFest, which also features longboard and tandem surf competitions for humans.

“Everyone was surfing really well,” said Kelli Bullock Hergert, Duke’s OceanFest board member and organizer of the competition. “We had some waves coming through Baby Queens, so everyone was able to show off their skills and teamwork.”

Though Roxi the Yorkie was the smallest competitor, she took the top spot in the tandem competition, followed by Cosmo, the Bernedoodle in second, and Rufus, the chocolate Labrador in third.

In solos, Jojo the corgi took the top spot, followed by Abbie Girl, an Australian kelpie in second place, and Bonobo the French bulldog in third.

Although the majority of competitors are dogs, the surf competition has had pigs, including several generations of Kama the surfing pig, and a cat, participate in previous years.

No pigs competed this year, but participants held a special memorial ceremony for Kama3, one of the surfing pigs recently killed by trespassers on a ranch in Hauula.

Before the start of the competition, surf participants gathered around Kama3’s photo for a special memorial ceremony. Kama3 competed in the competition in 2015 and 2016 and was living out the rest of her days in retirement at the ranch when she was killed.

This year, dogs arrived from California and Washington state to compete alongside locals and included several repeat competitors.

Daffy the Muscovy duck competed for the first time and took fourth place in tandems.

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